Combination voltmeter, ammeter, and pneumatic pressure-gage.



P. NORTON. COMBINATION VOLTMETER, AMMETER, AND PNEUMATIC PRESSURE GAGE.

APPLIUATION FILED O01. 7,1909.

Patanted July 18, 1911.

. rificing any of the advantages possessed by .tached as an intermediate fitting between UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

LOWELL P.

non'roiv, or Los ensures, CALIFO NIA, nssioivonor ONE-HALE To..

EUGENE HOORNBEEK, on LOS ANGELEsQCALIF RNIA.

COMBINATION VOLTMETER, AMMETER, AND PNEUMATIC PRESSURE-casua To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, LOWELL P. Non'ron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Combination Voltmeter, Ammeter, and Pneumatic Pressure-Gage, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combinationinstrument, designed particularly for the use of automobihsts, by means of whiclrthe voltage or amperage of the electric batteries may be determined, or the pressure of air in the tire may be determined, and the principal object of the invention is to associate the devices into such interrelation that a single, compact instrument is produced with which any of these functions may be performed. This interrelation of parts produces a co-act-ion of the elements such that certain elements are common to each device, whereas, where the devices are constructed independently of each other, those elements would be individually required in each de vice; whereas, in the present combination and interrelation certain elements act in common for difierent functions and thereby many parts are eliminated without sacthe devices as heretofore individually construgted.

Ait'urtherobject is to provide an instrument of this character which can be attheair pump and the tire to accurately register the pressure of air in the tire during the inflation of the tire.

A further object is to p-rovide automatic valve means which prevents escape of air from the device when it is employed as a pressure gage without the pump being attached. A further object is to provide valve means operating automatically to prevent the tire from being inflated above a predetermined pressure and to provide means whereby such valve mechanism may be regulated to automaticallyact at any pressure desired. Further objects and advantages relate to details of construction and operation which will be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the drawings: Figure l is a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 7, 1909. Serial No. 521,642.

plan-view of the instrument. I Fig. 2 is a I magnet Patented J uh 18. 1911.

section on line -w Fig. 5. Fig. 3- is a SIClB elevation of the device showlng 1t applied to a tire in position for indicating the which is preferably of pressed steel and provided with a glass face 2. Within the case 1 is a partition 3 to which is secured a permanent horseshoe magnet 4-, being secured by screws 0 and separated from the partition 3 by blocks of insulation 6.

7 is; an electromagnet having turns of fine wire 8 wound on a core 9 and turns of heavy wire 10 wound over the fine wlre 8.

11 and 12 are terminals which project.

from the case 1 and are insulated therefrom, the terminal 11 being connected by a wire 13 with the heavy wire 10 and the terminal 12 being connected by a wire 14 with the fine wire 8. Theterminal 12 is employed for indicating voltage and the ter-' mlnal 11 is employed" for indicating am- 'perage.

The other ends of wires Sand 10 are grounded on the metal partition 3.

A stem 15 is connected to the case 1 and is in contact with the partition 3 and forms the ground connection or opposite pole to'either the terminal 11 or 12, so that when the stoma 15 and the terminal 12 are connected to the opposite poles of a battery, the circuit will be completed through the fine wire 8; while,

when the terminal 11 and the stem 15 are connected to the opposite poles of a battery, the circuit will be through the large wire 10.

The stem 15 has an internally threaded end 16 which is slotted at 17, and a threaded extension 18 is adapted to be screwed to the.

end 16,;there being a flexible cable 19 con v nected to the extension 18 andprovided with a contact terminal 20 adapted for application to one ofthe poles of the battery to be I tested.

21. is a bracket within the case 1 in which one end of a shaft 22 is pivoted, the shaftf22 also being journaled in the partition 3' and passing through. a dial'23. Fixed on the shaft22 is anarmature 24. which lies horizontally between the polfesof the horseshoe in its magnetic" field when the .in-

strunient is not in use. A hand 25 is So cured to the shat, and adapted to move over two rows oil graduations the upper row being designated Amps and the lower one being designated Volts.

hen an electrical circuit is formed through the tine wire 8 by bringing terminal 12 into contact with one pole of the battery and the stem 15, through cable 19 and terminal :20 in. contact with the other pole of the battery the magnet 7 is correspondingly energized and produces a magnetic field which acts upon the armature 2st niodilying to a certain extent the action of the horseshoe inagnct Al upon the armature 24: and the latter turns and in turning rotates the shaft and swings the hand 25 over the graduations indicating the amount of voltage. When. the terminals 11 and 20 are connected to the opposite poles oi the battery, the magnet 7 is energized by the large wire 10 and the magnetic lield thus produced actuates the armature 2 2'. a corresponding amount nice i tying the i 'itluence of the horseshoe magnetl and the hand is moved over the graduations and indicates the number of aniperes passing through the circuit. In either case, soon as the circuit is broken through the terminal 11 or 12 the influence of the horseshoe magnet 4 at once restores the armature 2 5: into neutral position with the hand. restin. Zero,

"the solit soc etltl which formed on the stem 1 is squared on the outside, and tapered as hown in. 6, and a collar 26 which table on the stein 15 is internally tapered and adapted to he slid up over the squared socketand bear against it at four points only thus enabling the socket to be slipped over the threaded valve and then. clamped thereto by sliding up the collar which wedges in the split collar tightly against the valve threads. 'l'he stem 15 has a central air passage 27, in the mouth of which a prei'orated plate 28, from the center of which projects pin the latter being adapt" tor dcprssing the valve pin ot the tire when t e iustrunwntis tire. The passage :27 lea to a chamber 30, as shown. in. Fig. 5, which communicates with the center portion of a curved tube 31, the free ends otthe tube b ing movable toward and from each other as the tube expaids or contracts, according to the air pressure within it. iaecured to one end of the tube 31 an arm which is pivotally connected to a lever 83, the latter being pivoted at 3% to the other arm of the tube 31. A. link connects the upper end of the lever 33 with. a segmental gear 36 which meshes with a pinion 37 on a shaft The shaft- 38 extends through the dial. 523 and carries a hand which is movable over graduations all) for indicating the air pressure within the tube 31.

secured to the I to open when the pressure of air A branch 4:1 is screwed into the side of wardly yielding check. valve which perniits air to be forced through the bran h ll into the passage 2?, but prevents air .t roin passing outwardly. A branch l3 extends from the opposite side of the stem 15 and is provider. 'ith two slots a l. Slidable within the branch 43 is a plunger 4L5 having arms 46 and l which are slidable in the slots ll. The arm 1-6 carries a pointer 4.8 which is movable over a scale 49, as shown in Fig. l. The branch is externally threaded and screwed thereon is a nut 50 having notches 51 in its periphery and pivoted to the arm t'? is a detent 52 which is adapted to engage in any of the notches 51 and be yieldingly held in engagement therewith by a spring 53. A release valve Sells arranged within the branch e3 and a coil spring is arranged between th, valve 5% and the nlune'er iii. The plun 'crd?) is provided with oln'l oxe D l time 36. The tension on the spring 55 may be regulated by turning the nut 50 and the latter may be turned by lilting the d out of engagement with the notch oi. litter the proper tension of spring has been secured. the detent may be i gagged with the notch 51 and ti I The scale a l will indicate the p the hand l8 and thus-enables the e li ion o't spring 55 to be regulated to permit tl 27 is a certain amount. when the instiainiient is applied to the valve 57 of the tire 58, shown in Fig 3 and air forced, through the branch ell, thence into thepassage 27 and thence through the valve 57 into the tire 58; the intlatf n will proceed until the pressure is sullioeiat to overcome the spring whereupon. the valve 5 1- will open and permit the excess ct compressed air to escape through the perforations 56, thus automatically preventingthe ii: e from being inflated above the de sired pressure. Should the device be applied to the valve" 57 of the tire to merely determine the PZ'GSSHILE, the alve will the pass:

remain closed as the pressurew -l the e 24' tends to hold it clos 0!.

virmsly sl iown n nection with the electrical indicating device, a cable with athreaded, extension screwed in said stem, said cable having a tip, and two terminals projecting from the case and electrically connected with the respective electrical indicating devices.

2. A case, electrical indicating means therein, pneumatic pressure indicating means in" the case, a stem on the case, an electrical connecting means, said stem being of conducting material and being in con nection with said electrical indicating means and being formed with an interior channel in communication with the pneumatic pres;

sure indicating means, and said stem being formed with a socket communicating with said channel in'the stem and adapted to receive and contact with said electrical connecting means and also adapted to receive and communicatewith pneumatic connect- In said channelto the said pneumatic pressure indicating, means, and another contact means in saidcase 1n communication with said electrical indicating means for complet f means to establish communication from 1 sa1d pneumatic connecting means through v means 1n the case, a stem on the case, an electrical connecting means, said stem being of conducting material and being in connection with said electrical indicating means and being formed with an interior channel in communication with the pneumatic pressure indicating means, and said stem being formed Wltllit socket communicatingwith said channelinthe stem and adapted to receive and contact with said electrical [connecting means and also adapted toreceive and communicate with pneumatic connect" ing means to establish communication from said pneumatic connecting means through i said channel to the said pneumatic pressure indicating 'means, said socket be ng internally screw threaded ,toengage the aforesaid connectifig meani afifianother contact.

means in said case in communication with said electrical indicating means for complet ing the connection to a circuit. I

In testimony whereof, I have'hereunto set my hand at 'Los Angeles, California, this 1stday of October, 1909.

LOWELL P. NORTON,

In presence of' G. T. HAGKLEY,

FRANK L. A. GRAHAM. 

